Customer Reviews

No Kill No Beep Beep

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Although there are endless comparrisons to Fugazi, Q & Not U are altogether a different band. These guys are moody yet highly energetic. They seemlessly splice together musical patterns in such a way that keeps the listener engaged. Above and beyond labels like "Pop-punk" or "Emo-punk" these guys play a musically mature yet delightfully naive take on traditional punk stylings. With an amazing live show to back it up, Q & Not U are redifining melody-driven punk music as we know it. Their lyrics are thoughtful and challenging without being too preachy. Although many of the tracks are highly dancable (as if that's a bad thing) don't take this to be another superficial pop album. Much of it is in what could be refered to as a "Math Rock" kind of style. With drum beats and synthesizers combined in a methodical yet fluid and organic fashion. This record is chock-ful of heartfelt emotion and genuine talent. Sure, they're no Fugazi, but that might not be as terrible as people think.

Well, despite songs 7-9 being a little more fleeting and fast-forwardable, this record is a beautiful anomaly. And the fact is I really can't understand where all the Fugazi comparisons come in to the picture; Q And Not U, while recorded by the venerable team of MacKaye/Zientara, lay down their OWN surrealist groundwork. How the guitars seem to claw each other for which gets more of the glory and attention, how you aren't sharply implored to lock the lyrical jigsaw pieces in to a puzzle that makes the best sense, how Davis' and Klahr's voices provide such a great 'Jeckyl and Hyde' ambiance to the whole thing--"No Kill No Beep Beep" is a striking off-ramp from whatever associations others may hand to it on the proverbial silver platter. Q And Not U are the Hunter S. Thompson of punk. The Jello Biafras and the Henry Millers can battle it out on their own time. Insignificant flaws aside, this is a very commendable debut.

well thats rephrase that they are the greatest art punk band ever i believe they exceed the Indie label and deserve their own "genre" .... these guys are the friggin shizzie....everything is so awesome. When you listen to this album please do more than that... Feel it live it love it. this is perhaps some of the deepest music ever written and recorded. Good Gravy i cant express how good these guys are its absoluteley amazing

Moody, progressive and cathartic, this is a tight young band. Not just a power-chord heavy post-hardcore group though; these guys know when to restrain and control things.

this dischord debut by the DC allstars is almost criminally catchy. from the jerky, caucaphonous guitar breaks on "hooray for humans to the driving beat behind "we [heart] our hive" to the gentle (and almost eeriely serene compared to the rest of the album) "kiss distinctly american," no kill no beep beep is the sort of record you play over and over until your roommate threatens to throw your speakers out a very high window. not that i have personal experience with this or anything.

the sound is very reminiscent of some of the more experimental fugazi (think "in on the killtaker") mixed with the off-balanced rhythms of a garage band dismemberment plan -- in the end DC to the core, with messages of anxious observance of pop culture. while not as completely infectious as a live show (which would be even more highly recommended if you can catch them), No Kill No Beep Beep is as strong a release as any dismemberment plan album, and holds its own with the founders of dischord itself. pick this one up.

I checked this out upon recommendations of friends and indie rock reviewers, and it's absolutely brilliant. Ian McKaye [Minor Threat, Fugazi] helps in the production of this jumpy, stop-start punk album, but the talent is all Q and Not U. If you like [frequent tourmates] the Dismemberment Plan and Les Savy Fav, this is along the same lines, only younger. And what better bands to follow-footsteps of than the most innovative ones out there -- I can't wait to see what these kids do next!

So how to start? The first time I heard this album I think all I got was two counterpointing vocalists, a general flow of melody, most likely represented by the bass, and a treblely mess of the two guitars. Lets get back to this album a bit later I thought. A year and half later, further along in my quest for ultimate objectivity in music that I deemed cool, I give this album another go. That's what I'm talking about! Yay, I can hear all 6 voices and separate them nicely (2 guitars, bass, drums, two vocals). So where is this review going? Not too sure but I've got more to say. Arrangement on this album is supperb! No need to have a rhythym guitar follow a bass! the bassist is very capable of creating nice melodthym all by himself. So what to do with them two guitars? Trip the mind fantastic. They add some crazy gain and rip holes in my reality with riff after riff of future-thunk guitar melodies bouncing back and forth of each other; dueling their hypnotic duel. Drums are chilling in the back mixing minimalism, and subtle attention-grabbingness, letting the talent of his stringed compadres carry the rhythym. So you see? The dream album found. These guys mock conventional guitar-band composition and create their own formula. We need more of this in music!

If you feel left out you may just have to listen a bit more carefully, listen to the raw buzz of the guitars (they don't call it gain for nothing (Sleeping Giants!)), the undertone-groove hugeness of the bass and the all the rest. Isolate each instrument in your mind and really hear what is going on there! Smoke the ganj if that helps (it always does!).

made-up adjective count - more than 5?

These guys have totally restored my faith in "indie rock" through and through. Their music is complex, melodic, different, and insanely catchy, something that is rare in today's "let's go through old proto punk LPs and rip off songs" alternative scene. Shreds of post punk, hardcore, and "emo" are woven together seamlessly, making for an interesting and original listen. This band should appeal to fans of any genre, because it's just plain good.

This, folks is the cutting edge.

This is an excellent album--hence the good rating, but I can't help putting in that Q and Not U tends to suffer from Dischord Disease, i.e. trying to be Fugazi. Listen to "We Heart Our Hive" on this album and then "Margin Walker" on Fugazi's 13 Songs and you will see what I mean. There's at least one other instance of really tight guitar work where you think to yourself, "Where did I hear that before?" Whenever you ask yourself that question, the answer is probably "Fugazi." Obviously Q and Not U are more than just a cover band--I mean, they aren't a cover band at all--but there's a slight sense that they're supported by giants. Still an excellent album, though.

This album is simply amazing. These DC boys know how to rock in every sense of the word...really experimental and melodic. If you know what is good for you, you'll buy this album. The cd is only surpassed by their live show.